GitHub Copilot Guide

GitHub Copilot is GitHub’s AI coding assistant. It suggests code as you type, answers questions about your codebase, makes multi-file changes, reviews pull requests, and can work on issues by itself in the cloud.

Copilot writes code fast. You still own what gets merged.

Free

Limited completions and chat, with automatic model selection

Pro

$10 a month, 1,500 AI Credits, cloud agent and code review

Pro+

$39 a month, 7,000 AI Credits, premium models including Claude Opus

Max

$100 a month, 20,000 AI Credits, priority model access

Business

$19 per seat a month, with admin controls

Enterprise

$39 per seat a month, needs GitHub Enterprise Cloud

Verified students get Copilot free. Check GitHub’s plans page for current details.

In 2026, Copilot moved to usage-based billing, with AI Credits worth one cent each. Code completions and next edit suggestions on paid plans do not use credits. Chat, agent mode, code review, and the CLI do, and bigger models use more.

• Accept a suggestion with Tab
• Write a clear comment or function name first to guide it
• Next edit suggestions predict the change you will make next
• Keep related files open so Copilot has context

• Ask Copilot Chat to explain code, find bugs, or write tests
• Use agent mode for multi-file changes inside your editor
• Review each change before accepting it

Add input validation to the signup form. Follow the patterns in the existing forms, add tests, and run them. Do not change the API.

• Assign a GitHub issue to Copilot
• It works in a cloud environment and opens a pull request
• Review the pull request like a teammate’s work
• Comment on the pull request to ask for changes

On paid plans, you can hand tasks to other coding agents, such as Claude and OpenAI Codex, from inside GitHub, and compare their results.

• Request Copilot as a reviewer on a pull request
• Use its comments as a first pass, not the final review
• Keep a human reviewer for anything important

• Copilot CLI brings the agent to your terminal
• The Copilot app lets you manage agent work in one place
• MCP servers connect Copilot to tools and data outside GitHub

Add a .github/copilot-instructions.md file to your repository with your coding standards, test commands, and rules. Copilot reads it for every request in that repository.

• Use fast, cheaper models for small edits and questions
• Use premium models for hard bugs and big refactors
• Watch your credit use in your billing settings

• Never commit secrets; Copilot can suggest them from context
• Run tests and security checks on AI code
• Check licences when suggestions look copied
• Set spending limits so agents do not run up costs